Christmas Thoughts

Front Porch with Christmas Lights

Thank you everyone for the kind words, thoughts and prayers as my family is dealing with the loss of my aunt. Another relative is very ill, so my parents and brother flew out earlier this week to California to be with our family. It’s been a stressful and teary two weeks, but I still want to make this a special Christmas for my kids, my family. I’m usually so happy and excited to get our home ready for the holidays, for guests, to celebrate… but I’m “blah” right now. Even Christmas songs on the radio aren’t getting me in the mood as they usually do. I mean, I’m still doing stuff. Just with a bit of a heavy heart – I set out to decorate our home (Father-in-law strung the lights outside), started addressing the Christmas cards, got some cookie dough in the refrigerator.

Christmas Tree at Night

I think in a little time I’ll find the Christmas spirit…

Kids under the Christmas Tree

One Fall Day

Hope you all had a nice weekend. We certainly enjoyed ours. I should have been getting ready for the Craft Social, but I had other projects in line.

Enjoying the Backyard

The boy is crying not because he was hurt. He tried to lock me up in the garden and I yelled at him. Needless to say, he went back inside the house for a while.

Black and Decker Cultivator

This garden tool was pretty nice to use once the hard clay was amended with peat moss.

Planting Garlic

After planting the garlic, it was time to enjoy the leaves.

Fall Leaves

Life is Fun

**Updated: Wow! This is my 100th post – a great way to “celebrate”. Thanks to everyone who takes time out of their day to share time with us!

Celebrating Halloween and a Birthday

Happy birthday 3 year old Ollie

I’m still recovering from being sick. I think it’s sinusitis. Well, that’s just me the non-doctor that I am, self diagnosing, like I do all the time. Saw my kids’ doctor today though, and she said, “Yeah, 7-10 days… it’ll clear itself out. Come back if it’s bad.” Oy, this afternoon, my headache was so bad, I wanted to put my head in a vice and squeeze it.

Despite the sickness, we celebrated Ollie’s 3rd birthday with family and friends, and the kids had a nice little Halloween weekend. Abby was Raven from Teen Titans and Ollie was Pablo from The Backyardigans. I made Abby’s cape with no real pattern. Didn’t turn out too shabby, if I say so myself. I did trace the hood from her Jedi cape that she wore on Halloween when she was two. I couldn’t get it quite right, but I think it worked out. Ollie was going to be Robin, Boy Wonder, but he changed his mind a week before I started working on his costume. Good thing, too. We had just enough time to buy his costume.

IMG_3898

Happy birthday, Little Man!! We love you so much…

Raven from Teen Titans and Pablo from The BackyardigansWaiting for Dad to go outside

Visiting neighbors on Halloween

Sick Mommy Thursday

Hard to get motivated when I’ve been a little under the weather, but life goes on. Ollie took a few pictures of me yesterday as I was trying to rest on the couch. Two-year olds don’t understand the concept of resting, and I’m not sure how to more clearly explain that “Mommy is not feeling well. Mommy is a little sick.”

sick mommy collage

He said, “I ts-icky, too, Mom! Chin mine chin, Mom. ” He doesn’t say “my”. Chinning: that’s just one of his ways of snuggling. He totally gets that way when he’s super tired or just wants to say he loves you, and I’m so glad I had a moment to capture it. I love when he smushes his little cheek onto my cheek, or his forehead against my face. It hurts a little now that he’s older, though. Thanks, Little Man, for sympathizing. I sat on the floor afterwards and played a little Candyland with him.

The upside to sitting on the couch, while the fever shivers are subdued by Tylenol, is having a little time to sketch another piece.

sketch 10-29

Random Conversations with My Kids

Noodle Beard

It’s so hard sometimes to capture all the little snippets of every day conversations that you’d like to remember so that you can tell your kids one day, “You were sooooo cute when you were (insert age)!!” I have these moments all the time, and I’m sure many parents do, too. Whether you’re in the car, doing chores, fixing them a meal, sharing a meal – there are just those fun moments.

——

One night I sent the kids to brush their teeth and I said I’d be right behind them. Ollie is only 2, so he needs helps, usually. Not even 2 minutes later, Ollie comes waltzing into my bedroom.

“Did you brush your teeth, Ollie?”

“YAH!”

“Are you sure?”

“Ahhh-beee say I good, so… I done!”

“Really, Abby said you’re good, so you’re done?”

The answer was a definite YES, and when I checked with Abby, she had a good chuckle. Now she says, “I good, so I done,” anytime she can.

———

Ollie’s ABC’s needed a little work and this is how it went in the car. Please sing along.

Ay – Bee – Tsee – Dee – Eff – Gee – Aych – I – Jay – Kay – Emm – Oooo – Pee – Kew – Ahr – Ess – Tee – You – Vvvv (long pause) Seven – Eight – Nine – Ten

Now he says, “Tee – You – Vee – Duhbuh You – Eck – Why and Szhee”

———

“Ollie, how are you today?”

“Pine.”

“You’re Fffff-ine?”

“Yah. That’s what I say, Pine.”

“Try saying “ffffff-ine”, Ollie.”

“Ffffffff-Pine.”

“What about Fat Cat?”

“Fffff-Pat Cat.”

“Okay, we’ll work on that somemore.”

———

On the way to school one morning I had such the Mom-moment. Mom-nesia, if you will.

“Abby, I should record that new tv show with the show choir-high school show.”

“Yeah, it was cool. What’s it called, Mom?”

“I can’t remember.. uh, you know, we watched it the other night, Geek? Yeah, I think it’s called Geek!”

“Geek? Oh, MOM, don’t you mean GLEE? Bwahahahaha. Mom, you’re funny.”

“Ollie says, Punny mommy.”

———

Ollie: I wuv Unc-kuh Gweg. (our new brother-in-law)

Mom: That’s really nice, Ollie.

Ollie: I big wike Unc-kuh Gweg. I big boy.

Abby: Uh, Ollie, you’re not.

Ollie: Yah, I AM!

Abby: NO, you’re still LITTLE!

Ollie: NOOO, I big boy. Maaaaahm, Ah-bee say I wit-tuh, but I big!”

“Ollie, if you think you’re a big boy, then start using the potty.”

Yeah, that ended that conversation really fast.

—————–

My kids

Extraordinary Family Blessings

Ines and Julie

We celebrated the wedding of my sister-in-law and her boyfriend of three years. So much love and happiness this past weekend, and we’re still recovering! My husband’s relatives are staying with us and we’re all having so much fun. There hasn’t been a lot of time to blog, but I’ll return next week.

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